Most Online Thought Leaders Are Self Made

Online thought leaders are 'dubbed' as such simply because their words tend to carry more influence within many social communities! These people are always sharing information that more times then not reflects topics of interest to those they are addressing! The question is have these people been born with natural leadership abilities or is there something else going on here altogether? The fact is that you can actually gain more influence with other citizens of the internet by simply sharing information that is timely and needed! Of course the point to being influential is the obvious benefits it presents to just about any type of online business since influence = persuasion = sales = income!
Here are 5 steps anybody can use on social media sites to help you evolve into a 'leader' thereby giving you more influence within the community!
Get Your Bearings
The very first step, and there's no way around it, is you'll want to listen to the conversations people are having! Only in this way can your determine what are the topics of interest to these people and whether you share in these interests or not! Obviously if you're just not into what one group may be discussing how can you expect to contribute to the conversation in a positive manner?
Do Your Research
Once you've identified discussions that are of interest to you the next step would be to 'dig up' any information relevant to the subject! Remember sharing information is how you get people to notice and accept you but it MUST be relevant to 'their' interests!
Curation Is NOT a 4 Letter Word
Trying to continuously 'create' content that is relevant to the topics of interest people have will drive you bananas! On the other hand it's all about sharing information therefore don't be shy about 'locating' content created by others that you can share! Curating content like this is the most effective strategy to use due to the frequency with which you'll need and want to offer any attention getting information!
Offer and Don't Push Content
Never try to 'force' any content on others since this will only make you seem pushy thereby making you more an intruder and less a participant! To gain more influence in any community you must FIRST be accepted by other members, so simply make any information you are offering 'available' to viewers! If it captures their interest you can bet they'll locate the source from which it came!
Timing Is Everything
When sharing information only do so when it focuses on 'current' topics of interest insofar as what people are talking about at that time! People at social sites are notorious for changing the topic of any conversation at the drop of a hat! This is why you'll need to closely monitor what people are talking about so you can offer value to the conversation with relevant content in a timely manner!
People tend to flock in the direction of thought leaders that, for less than obvious reasons, have more influence than those around them! Our discussion above focuses on how this 'reputation' can be developed, much like a brand, by simply sharing information that reflects the current topics of interest! The 5 steps discussed above take you through learning what people want, to knowing where to find it and when to present it! Knowledge, as they say, is power, and it is what you will use for 'leverage' to gain more influence within these online communities!